Process of producing hydrocyanic acid



Y R. W. POINDEXTER. PRocEss or Paonucmc' HYoRocvAmc Aem.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 6' I920. 1,387,170 Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

y 2 SHEETS-SHEET I k Se .ufff-onze@ n. w. POIND'IEXTEH.

PROCESS 0F PRODUCING HYDROCYANIC AClD. l APPLICATION] FILED JULY 6| |920. 1938?'9170., A l Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 bodinient of my invention.

' UQNi'rED STAT-Es PATENT oFF-ics.

ROBERT WADEPOINDEXTER, F ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,

DETER AND COMPANY, A. COPABTNERSHIP.

essrciroa To rpitl POOESS -OIF PROIJUCING HYDROCYNIG ACID.

Lessive.

' To all whom it may concern.-

yvented a new and useful Process of Producmg',

Hydrocyanic Acid, of which the' following is a s pecication.

My invention relates to the. art of producing hydrocyaiiic acid and an object of my invention is toprovide a process by. which4 hydrocyanic acid may be produced from relatively inexpensive materials with a greater degree of eiiiciency and at ja lower cost than has heretofore been considered possible. In my process I utilize -a hydrocarbon, preferably a natural gas, an ammonia, mixing these gases under conditions which Eromote a rapid reaction therebetween. I ave found, that while it is possible'to produce hydrocy'anic acid by the mere association of ammonia and-a hydrocarbon and the application of heat, that it is only where the actual association, of the gases during the reaction period is controlled to make 'this reaction ver rapid that high eiiiciencies are obtained.` his I prefer to do by' heating the hydrocarbon revious to thezintroduction of ammonia vt erein, thereafter subject! ing the mixture to suiiicient heat over la period 'ust suiiicient for. the reaction to take place, tlie gases then being withdrawn from\ the heated zone so that the hydrocyanic acid is not broken up.

Further objects and advantages 'will be.

made'evident hereinafter. Y ,A My invention comprises the novel arrangement and combination of parts shownon 'the accompanying drawing and set forth in the following specification. In these drawings Figure 1 is a diagram matic elevation partly in section of one em- Fig. 2 is a lan view on a 'plane-.represented by the ine 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of my invention, I show a producer 11 acoo'ler12 andan ab-f 'lhe producer 11 consists be-closed bly a cover 21`provided withal water seal 22. he

; interior of the Shen is lined with sie brick n 23 which surrounds a central opening 24 in I" which 'a' checker work ofire blick 25 is vSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application led July 6,'1920. Serial No. 894,348.

Aphram 51. The

zle 71, this liquid Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

formed. This checker work consists of bricks laid in vcourses with spaces 26 there between, thesecourses being laid alternately at right angles with each other so as to provide vertical channels between the bricks. A pipe 30 delivers natural near the bottom which is supplie with ammonia through a pipe 32 controlledby a valve 33. The pipe 3 1 communicates through a plurality of nozzles 34 with the interior of'thechamber 24 so that ammonia may be injected into this chamber'at a number of different points. The lower end of the chamber 24 is closed' by a mass of fire brick 36 having a .channel 3 v therein which communicateswith` a gas openin 38 and aiiue opening .39. Tightly secure 4in the vgas opening 38 is a 'metal member .into which a gas nozzle 41. projects, this nozzle. being supplied with gas through a pipe'42 controlled-by a valve 43.

The air is supplied -to the interior of the metal chamber 40 through a pipe 44 congas t' the top of the chamber 24. Surrounding the shell 11- p ortion thereof is a pipe 31 coo er 12 which consists of I a metal boxA 50 having an intermediate'diapipe 49 passesythrough the top of -thebox 50 and through the dia hram 51. The interiorof the box 50 is lille withA liquid, referably sulfuric acid to the level L'-L w ich is slightly above the diaphragm 51. The box 5()l is -ireferablylead lined to prevent being acte upon by the sulfuric acid.- The diaphragm 51 has ahole'53 near 61 and divided by partitions 62 and 63.into

three chambers. In each of these chambers a checker work of. wood or other material is built up, .thischecker work being ke constantly wet b a spray nozzle 65 w ich is fed b liquid y a centrifugal pump 66, this liqui being taken through 'a pi 69 .from thespace below the chec er wor A constant supply of fresh liquid is delivered through a p1pe70 into the upper spray noz- Y downwardly through thelthree chambers 'and drawn in the forni of a` hydocy lation-through 'a pipev 72. The object of the being withanic acid so-r 'one end thereof which is below an outlet pipe 54: which communicates .with the bOtp gas lire is maintained until such time thatthe whole interior or the chamber 24 is highly heated. rllhe valves 43 and 45 are then closed and has'the edect of closing oli1 any exit through the opening 38 and the cover 21 is replaced being made tight by the water seal 22. Hydrocarbon gas is then supplied through the pipe 30, this hydrocarbon being preferably natural gas. The hydrocarbon passing downwardly through the checker work is highly heated. il have found that in practice it' is advisable to raise it to a temperature of at least 500 C. before it reaches the zone orGV the nozzles 34. Ammonia is then injected through these nozzles, this ammonia coming in Contact with the highly heated hydrocarbon and torming a mixture therewith in which the chemical reaction takes place, hydrocyanie acid beingY formed. Under these conditions the ammonia and hydrocarbon are broken down, hydrocyanic acid being-formed. Illhe am monia nozzles are so located and the speed of the gases through the apparatus is so regulated that the mixture remains in the heated Zone for a period just sucient `for the completion ot 'the reaction. By preheating the hydrocarbon gases the reaction between the ammonia and the hydrocarbon when they are associated is very rapid and the eciency is very high. lThe highly heated gases are Vforced through vthe pipe 49 below the diaphragm of the cooler 54 passing along as bubbles in Contact with the liquid therein. This liquid is supplied through a Y pipe 80, liquid and sludge being withdrawn vthrough pipe 90. Y In the cooler the gases are very greatly reduced in temperature and any excess of ammonia is caught and saved by the sulfuricvacid solution. The cooled gases are passed into the bottom et the absorption tower passing upwardly through the various checker works 04 and through the openings in the diaphragmV 62 and 03.

'llhese diaphragms have collars 6'? termedV A hydrocarbon being` thereafter neemvo therein so that a certain amount of liquid tends to collect thereon, being drawn upon by the pump and being maintained by the `constant supply of liquid delivered through the pipe 70. Hydrocyanic acid is absorbed in the liquid trickling down over the checker works being finally withdrawn as a solution through the pipes 72.

ln practice l find it economical to heat `the h drocarbon to a temperature about 5,00O l. the temperature applied to the mixture should be somewhere between-9502 C. and 1450O C. y

l claim as my invention:

1. A process of producing hydrocyanic acid which comprises heating a khydrocarbon and injecting ammonia into said heated hydrocarbon. i 2. A process of producing hydrocyanic in which event it is desirable that acid which comprises heating a hydrocarand injecting ammonia into said heated hydrocarbon, said mixture of ammonia and further heated to assist the reaction.

5. A process Vor producing hydrocyanic acid which comprises heating a hydrocarbon and injecting ammonia into said heated hydrocarbon', said mixture of ammonia and nonnnr wenn roinnnx'rnn.

hydrocarbon being thereafter heated to a 

